Combination billfold, purse, and pocket case



June 20, 1950, w. H. ST. THOMAS COMBINATION BILLFOLD, PURSE, AND POCKET CASE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 28, 1948 IN VEN TOR.

6 m E 0% H. W a M June 20, 1950 w. ST. THOMAS COMBINATION BILLFOLD, PURSE, AND POCKET CASE Filed July 28, 1948 2 She'ets-Sh'get 2 INVENTOR. L/fi/W /7. .5'7 FMMA:

197701? NE Y5 Patented June 20, 1950 I COMBINATION BILLFOLD', PURSE, AND

POCKET CASE -William H. St. Thomas, Gloversville, N. Y., as-

signer to St. Thomas Inc., a corporation of New.

York

Application July 28, 1948, Serial N 0. 41,111

1 Claim.

This invention relates to pocketbooks and has more particular reference to pocketbooks of the type which comprises a combination purse and billfold.

Qne object of the invention is to provide a combination purse and billfold, wherein access aybe had to the billfold pocket and the purse pocketgwithout unfolding the billfold, wherein access may be had to the purse pocket and/or the billfoldpocket independently of each other, and wherein means are provided on the outer wall of the'p'dcketbook adjacent to the mouth thereof forholding a foldable pass case.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a combination purse and'billfold, as characterized above,.wherein the foldable pass case is mounted, thereonadjacent to the mouth ends of' thepurse and billfold compartments and so positioned that the pass case'may be opened to display its contents while the combination purse andbillfoldis in-its folded position, without disturbing the opening to the purse or billfold compartments or unfolding the billfold.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a combination purse and billfold, as characterized above, wherein the foldable pass case is detachably mounted .on the outer surface of the pocketbook adjacentto the mouth end thereof, and comprises one .or more transparent containers for the. reception of identification cards, street car or railway passes, and the like.

Other objects and advantages of the inventionwill beappar'ent in the specification when considered .in connection with the accompanying drawings, .wherein:

1mg. 1 is .a perspective view showing one form of "a combination purse'and billfold having a pass case j mounted adjacent to the mouth end of the billfold and constructed in accordance with the present invention, and with the billfold shown in an unfolded position;

.Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the combinationpurseand billfold of Fig. 1, in a folded p t o Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3' 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the combination purse and billfold shown in Fig. 1, showing the billfold in folded position, but showing the pass case pulled out of its pocket;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3; and c Fig. 6 is a perspective view, with parts broken away, showing the details of the pass case.

In general, the present invention comprises the billfold and so positioned thereon that the pass case may be opened to display its contents while the billfold is in its folded position, without disturbing the openings to the purse or billfold compartments, or unfolding the billfold.

In thejparticular embodiments of the present invention, as herein illustrated and described. the pass cases have been shown as mounted on combination purses and billfolds which are substantially similar in construction to that shown in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 766,590, filed July 8, 1947, for Combination Purse and Billfold, now U. S. Patent Number 2,488,444, issued November 15, 1949.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown, in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, one embodiment of the invention. As there shown, a combination purse and billfold, indicated generally at Ill, has a pull-out card case I! removably mounted within an outer pocket l2 formed in' the outer wall of the billfold compartment adjacent to one end thereof and positioned so that when the billfold is in its folded position, as shown in Fig. 2, the mouth of the pocket I2 is adjacent to and opens in the same direction as'the mouths of the purse and billfold compartments of the combination purse and (billfold.

The combination purse and billfold Ill is'substantially similar'in construction to the combination purseand billfold shown in my aforesaid co-pending application and comprises a purse portion indicated generally at I3 and having a mouth or access opening M; and a billfold portion, indicated generally at l5, and having a mouth or access opening 16 and an elongated second access opening ll provided with a slide fastener closure member I 8.

The billfold is adapted to be folded on itself about'a central transverse fold line, as shown in Fig. 2, and maintained in this folded position by fastening means such ascooperating snap fastener elements [9, 20 mounted on the outer surface of the inner side of the billfold, each adjacent one end thereof.

' The purse portion includes apair of opposed flexible wall members H, 22 jointed together throughout the greater portion of their periphery to form a purse space or compartment 23. The unjoined peripheral portions of the members form the mouth or access opening [4 of the purse compartment. In' the particular embodiment shown, the Wall members 2|, 22 are identical in size and are substantially rectangular in outline. They are preferably made of leather and their peripheral edges are preferably joined together by sewing.

The billfold portion includes a pair of opposed flexible wall members 24, 25 joined together throughout the greater portion of their periphery to form a billfold space or compartment 26, the unjoined peripheral portions of the members forming the mouth or access opening l6 to the ing, to form a hemmed edge. The bottom flange billfold compartment. In the particular embodiment shown, the wall members 24, are identical in size and shape and are substantially rectangular in outline. They are extremely longer and slightly wider than the wall members 2 I, 22 which form the purse space. The wall members 24, 25 are preferably made of cloth.

Means are provided for closing the mouths of the purse and billfold compartments, and for attaching the two compartments together. In the particular embodiment shown, such means 60.1 prise three U-shapedframe members21, 28 and 29. The frame members are of the usual construction and have their corresponding legs pivotally connected together, as at and 3|. The frame member 21 is suitably secured, as by crimping, to the unjoined peripheral edge portion of the purse wall member 2|; the frame member 28 is secured, as by crimping, to the free edge portion of the purse wall member 22 and to the free edge portion of the billfold wall member 24; the frame member 29 is secured, as by crimping, to the free edge portion of the billfold wall member 2-5. The middle frame member 28 is provided with a fastener member 32 adapted to cooperate with cofastener members 33 and 34, carried by the frame members 21 and 29, respectively. The construction is such that the frame members 21 and 28 are pivoted at 30 and 31 to provide closure means for the purse compartment and the frame members 2B and 29 are pivoted at 30 and 31 to provide closure means for the billfold compartment, thereby permitting the mouth or access opening of both compartments to be opened or closed and locked in the closed position independently of each other.

To facilitate the insertion of bills into the billfold compartment, the outer billfold wall member 25 is provided with a longitudinal slot or opening 11, located preferably adjacent to the upper edge and extending intermediate of the side edges, as shown in Fig. 1. The opening [1 may be provided with suitable closure means, such as a slide fastener 13. In addition, the opening or slot I1 may have a reinforcing border member 35, pref erably made of leather.

In addition to the billfold compartment 26, a second billfold space or compartment 36 may be provided, if desired. The billfold space 36 is formed between the outer billfold member 25 and a wall member 31 coextensive in length with, but narrower than the wall member 25. The wall member 31 is secured to the wall member 25 along its bottom and right hand side edges, as view in Fig. l, and has its left hand edge secured to the frame member 29.

A card space 38 may be provided, if desired, by securing a wall member 39 along its bottom, top and right hand edges, as viewed in Fig. l, to the wall member 31.

In order to hold the purse compartment in place against the billfold compartment and to form the outer pocket l2 in which the pass case I l is mounted, an outer cover wall member 40 is provided. The wall member 40 is of less length 4.2 is folded over the bottom edges of the wall members 24, 25, 31 and 39 and all of these members secured together, as by stitching, to form a hemmed edge. The left hand unattached edge portion of the cover wall member 40, as viewed in Fig. 3, extends over the outer purse wall member 2! and is secured to the frame member 21, as by crimping. Thus, the cover wall member 40, with the inner billfold wall member 24, form the pocket 12 in which the pass case H is mounted.

The pass case H, as best seen in Fig. 6, com prises a carrier member 43, to the bottom edge of which are hingedly secured one or more rectangular card containers 44. In the particular embodiment illustrated (see Fig. 3) two such containers 44 are shown hingedly attached to the carrier member 43 by means of a flexible hinge strap 45. The card containers 44 are preferably made of .a transparent plastic material and are open at their tops to receive identification cards, street car passes, and the like. A flexible retainin strap 45 has one of its ends secured to the bottom edge of the carrier member 43 and the other of its ends secured to the inner billfold wall member 24 at a point spaced inwardly of the pended by the retaining strap 46, as shown in,

Fig. 4. In this connection, it should be particularlynoted that, by positioning the pocket, i 2 so that it is on the outside of the billfold and with its mouth opening at the end of the billfold adjacent the mouths of the purse and billfold compartments, the pass case may readily be pulled out of its pocket and its contents exposed without unfolding the billfold and without danger of accidental opening of the purse of billfold compartments. In addition, due to the retaining strap 46, the pass case cannot become separated from the billfold and inadvertently dropped or lost.

In order to give the combination purse and billfold a more finished appearance, an additional outer cover wall member 48 may be provided. The cover wall member 48 is superimposed on the inner billfold wall member 24 at the right hand end thereof, as shown in Fig. 3, and has its bottom and right hand edge portions folded over the corresponding edges of the wall members 24, 25, 31 and 39, and secured thereto to form bottom and right hand hems 49, 5.0, respectively. The top edge portion of the cover wall member 48 is folded over the top edges of the wall members 24 and 25 and secured thereto to form, a hem 51. The left hand edge of the cover wall member 23 is secured to the Wall member 24. The wall member 48 and the wall member .40 are preferably made of leather.

amass:

From the foregoing, it readily will be seen that there has been provided a combination purse and billfold having a pass case mounted thereon in such a position as to permit the contents of the pass case to be exposed without opening the purse or billfold compartment and without unfolding the billfold.

What is claimed is:

In a billfold having generally rectangular inner and outer walls secured together to form a bill receiving pocket and adapted to be folded longitudinally upon the inner wall intermediate its ends; a generally rectangular wall forming mem-' ber substantially coextensive with and secured to said outer wall along its side edges and having a free end portion terminating adjacent to one end of the billfold to provide an open pass case pocket; and a pass case removably mounted in said pass case pocket and adapted to be removed therefrom when said billfold is in folded position.

WILLIAM H. ST. THOMAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,694,186 LEniant Dec. 4, 1928 2,091,662 Umansky Aug. 31, 1937 2,298,543 Schmidt Oct. 13, 1942 2,428,267 Doppelt Sept. 30, 1947 2,428,707 Hardy Oct. 7, 1947 2,475,067 Wege July 5, 1949 2,476,739 Knee July 19, 1949 

